Upstream Race
by Eternal Dreamer's Stories
Summary: Dark, you could even say: postapocaliptical world, where mutants are hunted and hope is almost gone. Now that The Institute became a trap they must leave it and face the cruel world. Watch your back, or it might be stabbed. Contains OCs. Rating T but may re-consider it.


Kind of written for my friends who are here as characters. Dark, almost postapocaliptical world, where mutants are hunted and hope is almost gone. The only way to stay alive is to keep on moving and never leave a trace for the followers. Watch your back, or it might be stabbed.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own X-Men: Evolution or any of its character, I neither own Yuki or Mizu, they belong to two of my friends and Amy belongs to my mom. I only own Fallen and the storyline.

**Upstream Race**

**Chapter I**  
**Bloodless veins**

**part 1**

Fallen slowly made her way upstairs, almost wary of the silence that surrounded her, but more than that sadly amused by the fact how much this place seemed foreign now, after so many events going on here, after considering it a home for this long. But now so much changed, and the Institute wasn't the same place, not a one of the fellow residents would deny. This school used to teem with life, teenagers messing all around, laughter and arguments usually audiable as one passed the corridors. Now it was all gone, granted into silence so heavy you could almost float in the air on it.

Her heels were lacerating the muteness with the cruelty that made the girl feel almost awkward. But there weren't many to hear her walking anymore, and the few who made it through to the presence wouldn't pay attention either way. They changed, and even she wasn't the exception. But her change was - as it seemed - too minor to shield her from feeling disappointed with the outcome of the past events. It wasn't certainly the life she'd imagine, but she wouldn't dare to complain.

After all at least the few she cared about the most - Kurt, Yuki, Mizu, Amy - survived, safe and sound- on the outside to say the least. No one, no matter how strong they are, cannot completely defend from the world when it strikes so hard. Hell, she felt like slammed right in her face by god himself, and she wasn't even a believer. Probably she wasn't the only one feeling like great divine had set the wrong game for the world; a one too hard to win in.

Her footsteps echoed in the corridor as she approached the next one, and they were still the only sound to break the suffocating silence. This silence wasn't hard beacuse of lack of sound. No, it was hard because it was a permament reminder of the loss they all experienced. Reminder of those who can't be with them anymore, not ever again.

She stopped in front of Kurt's door, and took one more minute to watch the empty hall, that now was so unkempt compared to how it looked like when Professor and the others were still here. Sad. Simply sad, how now people forgot their routine to drown in sorrow or feelings of the sort. This hallway, dimmed and filled with smell of dust, was just one more thing to assure her, that the decision she made is the only way. Not a good way. Just a way. The only way except staying here and suffocating to death with memories that, once happy, now were making it hard to go on.

Procrastinating no longer, she knocked -just because it felt the right thing to do- and pushed the doors halfway open. Kurt was there, as expected, resting in his bed, with his arm hiding the upper part of his face, restraining the access of light. When she opened the door and the hinges made a creepy sound, his hand budged and he slowly moved it aside, warily opening his eyes that couldn't bear even such a small amount of light without sending waves of pain to his brain. His eyes shut closed, as his face twisted in expression that made it clear the feeling's not pleassurable.

"Fallen?" he asked so low it hardly reached the girl's ears.

She closed the doors, trying to make it silenlty, and as silently as could without actually sneaking up, she walked to him and sat on the side of his bed. "I got you some some pills, I hope these will help" she whispered, refusing to speak loud and get his migraine proccess in result.

His eyes slowly opened again, and after several blinks he was able to keep them open. He looked at the brunette's hands, offering him box of pills and mineral water. He took a deep breath before he forced himself to sit up, not giving his body time to refuse, and he regreted it a second after, when black stains danced in front of his eyes and ringing voice in his ears tried to blow his brain up. It all cooled down in few seconds, and he menaged to look at the girl again, sending her gratefull smile. He thanked her low, but honestly, and swallowed two pills, wishing they'd help, because this headache was slowly making him go crazy. Alright, it might have been slowly at the beggining, but now he was racing towards hell of craziness twice the Formula-1's speed. He felt it's just mare minutes separating him from seeing pink elephants playing chess with drunk monkeys in Lady GaGa's outfits.

Wait. What?

Yes, those pills working soon would be nice.

As he took the pills and placed the glass back on the bedside cabinet, he fell back, sinking into the puffy pillow, and praying for GaGa Monkeys to never catch up with him. His arm was back to keep his eyes in darkness, and he just breathed deeply, trying to ignore the fact how much the world around him seemed to spin like some carrousel.

Fallen watched him for a minute in silence. Her thoughts were now fixated on the decision she made ealier this morning. Or no; she was making this decision for a while now, and this morning she just realized that this is not an option anymore. Now it was a plan.

Kurt's free hand that was previously lying on top of the bedsheets covering his stomach, now slided down to his side where the brunette was sitting. Not a one more hint was required as she reached to his palm and squeezed it.

"You don't have to stay with me here." he said, almost laughing but stopping the laughter as soon as he realized the amount of pain it caused. 'Migraine would make a good name for my nemesis' he thought with displeassure.

Fallen's eyes returned from space she was lost so far away in. She made an unaudiable sight, and focused her gaze on the wall to her left, gently rubbing back of his hand with her thumb. She said nothing, and a minute passed. Her silence was lingering for few more seconds before her eyes fixed back on Kurt.

"And you don't have to go with me" she whispered in a soft sight, seemed to talk to herself.

"Go?" Kurt asked surprised, but regreted afterwards. Squeezing his forehead with one palm, he looked at Fallen questioningly. "Where?"

"I-..." she broke off, and seemed like re-considering her words for a second. "I'll tell you later. Now you should take some rest" she forced almost honest smile. Rising his hand up she kissed his knuckle and stood up. "I'll check out on you in half hour. Try catching some sleep."

Letting go of his hand, sending him one last smile, she left. As she closed door behind herself, she was in the empty hallway once again. In the silence, wrapped in this reminder of the ones who passed away, of the times that aren't to come back. Back in this depressive muteness. She couldn't explain the feeling, but she felt angry at the noise for not being there. 'Ridiculous' she thought as she headed down the hallway.

Before she reached the kitchen where she crashed onto Mizu, she had whole lot of memories floating into her mind.

Stories doesn't really have bagginings. We could begin at the moment of birth, or even generations earlier, or we can begin at the moment when something really important took place. But it's not like there are limitations, yet again story of how Earth became what it is now, seems to have the moments in time when it began. The moment of reaveling mutants to the world and the moment of inventing Sentinels that ought to be Guardians Of Humans. They ought to be, but made a damage that cannot be justified.

That's the Earth, but what about them? What about the individuals?

Mizu, Fallen and Yuki had, not so accidentaly, gotten into Universe 11052 with Kurt, and despite Ozu's short caddency at the Brotherhood of Boarding House, they all ended up at Xavier's. For a while life seemed easy for all of them, with perspectives, plans and hopes. But when the whole ani-mutant thing began and got so loud that each every person on the street would be ready to fire shotgun on any mutant- if they had a shotgun, and knew who's mutant-, what 'normal people' wanted was a total extermination of every living mutant on the Earth.

Of course, new mutants would be born, their mutations visible more often, powers stronger with each generation. Evolution wasn't about to give up on them, but mutant haters were ready to stand up and fight it until- until what? Until everyone's dead? It would most likely happen sooner or later, but no matter how many times you told them that, your words would always fall on deaf's ears.

Mutants Response Division, better known as MRD, took the case in their hands. Hiding mutants was a heavy crime, being mutant was a ticket to either die or become an object of experiments, and they would not hesitate to get you in the middle of crowded street, neither in your flat. They'd just drag you out and into their car, unless they would kill you before getting so far.

But there were too many mutants, and some were too powerful for MRD soldiers, and this is how Sentinels project was born. Sentinels ran out of control and plondred 3/4 of the United States, and almost half of the Europe. Asia was lost. People had to move into safer areas, where MRD checked out each every person if they're mutant. Some towns were left out, but sooner or later mutants hiding there would get caught too. There seemed to be no escape.

Somehow Xavier's school survived. To a dagree. Seeing those empty hallways, empty rooms, you wouldn't say "they won"... No, they didn't actually. So many of them died. Some in fight for the X-Men, some got back to their families and got taken away by MRD, god bless their souls. Saddest thing was that there were suicides commited in the mansion. They just couldn't handle all of this anymore; seeing their friends and families die, having a gun pressed to their foreheads every single day. Living in fear. They just decided to rest in peace, and most of the others didn't blame them, despite the sorrow and knowing it's not right.

Fallen felt like it was something more than a crazy miracle that among the 8 X-People who survived, were all: Yuki, Kurt, Amy and Mizu. And she. Sadly they lost Jubilee, Forge, Amara, Ray and Kitty, who all were close friends to either of them. Rogue... left to Mystique, as crazy as it seems. The other survivals aside them were Logan, Rahne and Evan. For Logan can survive nearly anything, Rahne and Evan had just a good luck. And possibly some good protectors who were there at the right place and the right time.

So many thoughts, so little time. It didn't take her a minute to get down to the kitchen, and so many memories of how they got where they are, took the time to drive her angry. She looked at Mizu who was sitting by the table with warm drink in her hands. Nobody knew they were at the mansion - checking it out was as pointless for MRD as checking out every other abandoned house. The mansion was abandoned meanwhile because they had run to save their lifes, and they... they just came back home after weeks of wandering elsewhere. Most of them didn't make it, but they stayed there. Only the 8 of them that survived. Now they couldn't use electricity if not the sun batteries. If they used electricity they'd be found out.

She poured cold juice for herself without a word. When she turned around the other girl's eyes were on her, joy gone from them. "So... how's he?" she asked.

Fallen sighed low and sat down in front of her friend. She took a sip of the juice before she answred; "Could've been better. That stupid poison still works."

The "poison" as Fallen called it, was a remedium that MRD was using to take down mutants, and eventually other individuals. In small doses it wouldn't let you use powers and send you into painful state in which you're unable to defend. In full doses it would make you suffer really hard and loose your powers for good. In extra doses it would just kill you, and this is what it usually was being used for. Killing.

Kurt was shot three days ago, and was knocked down for several hours afterwards. Luckily he got a small dose that - despite pain - wasn't a threat on his life. But for Fallen it wasn't enough to excuse the MRD soldiers who shot him, and it wasn't enough to cool her anger.

"Did you tell him?" other voice got both, Fallen's and Mizu's attentions. The black haired, slender girl was standing in the doorway.

The brunette sighed to herself, while the lighter haired girl seemed confused.

"I didn't. He's barely comunicative at the moment." Grace stated. Ozu made a small, single nod that she understands, and she sat down.

"Is there something I should know?" Mizu asked looking at the both girls.

Yuki looked at Fallen, and the brunette remained still for few seconds before answering; "I want to leave."

"Leave?" Mizu rised her eyebrows, like she heard something crazy. "Are you nuts? You know it's not safe out there."

"And is it safe here?" Grace asked with way more anger than she usually talked with to either Deling or Ozu. "It's just matter of time until they'd find out we're hiding here, and then we can say farewell to our lifes."

"Don't be mad at her, she's just worried" Ozu reminded her friend.

Fallen sighed, recollecting herself.

"But at least for now we're safe here." Mizu stated.

"For now." Fallen murmured. "But then this place will become a trap. They will know it's us who's here because it was our school, and they will not send just one soldier or two to take us like they usually do in other cases. They will send a whole fucking army after us. If we move, they won't be this suspicious and we will have at least a chance to defend."

"I agree with Fallen" Yuki told them. She looked at her brown haired friend. "I will go with you. Kurt will for sure go as well, Amy probably too. Evan will go, I'm sure of it. He's sick of staying here. Don't know how about Rahne. But what about Logan?"

"I- don't know. I go, that much I know. Who will want to go they will. I'm not forcing anyone, but won't let them stop me either. If somebody will stay with Logan, then at least I'll know they're safer."  
"Darky's got a point" deep voice surprised them, as Wolverine walked into the kitchen with cigarette in his mouth. He took a bottle of beer from the fridge and opened it with another one. "Moving equels safety nowadays. And if the MRD bubs will be back after us, this is the place they would look for us in the first place."

Fallen blinked once. "Does it mean you actually want to leave?"

Logan looked at the three girls. "It does."

"I thought it would be harder to get to you" Grace said, almost to her own self, as she turned back around and took one more sip from her glass.

Mizu sighed, placing hand over her forehead. "You all gone nuts."

T.B.C.


End file.
